


Sterling

by Sombre



Series: Mind Games [1]
Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-18 08:37:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3563216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sombre/pseuds/Sombre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slaine was never letting Asseylum talk him into anything again. Written for tumblr anon prompt, "Slaine with ear piercings."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sterling

Tentative, Slaine slipped into the classroom, glancing swiftly between the students. Lots of idle chatter filled the room, mostly about the past weekend’s shenanigans, some giggling, others cursing indignantly—and he couldn’t see anyone he knew. 

Just what he wanted. 

Swallowing, he waded through the crowd to his desk at the far back, gently pulled out his chair so it wouldn’t make a noise. _Maybe_ , he dared to think, sinking low in his seat, burying his head in his arms and leaning on the desk. _Maybe I can make it through the day without anyone noticing—_

“Good morning, Bat.”

Slaine yelped and fell backwards with his chair. The other students immediately stopped and turned. Slaine looked at them, then at Inaho, and pouted.

“I told you not to call me that,” he said in a low voice, though with everyone quiet and staring, he might as well have been speaking into a megaphone. Inaho gave no reply, instead offering his hand to help Slaine up, which he begrudgingly accepted. Immediately, several haphazardly hidden—and decidedly high pitched—giggles bubbled up around the room, even as the students began turning back to their conversations. Slaine, feeling his face begin to flush, tore his hand away. Inaho always had to do this, embarrass him in front of _so many people—_

"So,” said the brunette, as if completely unaware of his surroundings. He sat in the chair in front of Slaine, resting his arms on the back. “Are you wearing them?”

“Ah…”

_Fuck._

Slaine knew his face was growing ever redder by the second and it wasn’t helping. 

In nervous habit his fingers toyed with his sideburn bangs, left deliberately uncut and now just long enough to cover his ears. He could still lie about it, maybe, he still had time—

And then Inaho’s fingers were brushing against his cheek, swiping hair away, gently nudging him to get a better view. And Slaine’s breath hitched, Inaho really shouldn’t have been that close, he didn’t need to be that close, and he _certainly_ didn’t need to be smiling like that—

“I-Inaho?”

He hummed, as if in approval. “They look good on you.”

Two tiny, silver bats, adorning the curvature of his ear. It had been Asseylum’s idea. The starter studs were ready to come out, and Slaine really couldn’t figure out what he wanted to replace them with anymore, there were so many choices. He should have known, when she eagerly elected to pick out a set of ear piercings for him, and made him promise to wear them. He should have known it would come to this. She thought the nickname was _cute_.

From somewhere in the front of the room, a camera flashed.

Slaine immediately pushed Inaho’s hand away with a sharp intake of breath. “Um. Thanks."

When Inaho was done scrutinizing him, he wordlessly turned back around in his chair. Asseylum, smart phone in hand, flashed the both of them a thumbs up and a cheesy smile. Slaine sighed. He was really going to have to do something before this got out of control.

Then from in front of him, an idle thought, like he was speaking to no one in particular. “Seylum-san said I get to pick next.”

_“WHAT?”_


End file.
